Speed Limit 140 BPM+
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Speed Limit 140 BPM+ is a series of hardcore techno, jungle and drum and bass music compilation albums, released mostly in the mid-1990s. The series was originally put out by Moonshine Music, and some were re-released under the name of its subsidiary Planet Earth Recordings. All releases were easily identified by their cover artwork, which frequently featured a large logo in the style of a speed limit traffic sign.
As the name of the series suggests, the primary defining factor of these releases was that they all featured music at a tempo over 140 beats per minute (some even reaching speeds as high as 180 BPM). The series featured many notable artists from the UK's jungle and drum and bass scenes, such as Omni Trio, LTJ Bukem, 2 Bad Mice, Origin Unknown, Potential Bad Boy, DJ Hype, Urban Shakedown, and Goldie (recording as Metalheads), and in many cases they were the first appearance of these artists on US shores.
[edit] Albums
The original series included the following albums:
- Speed Limit 140 BPM+: The Sounds Of London Hardcore Techno (1993)
- Speed Limit 140 BPM+ Two: More Sounds Of London Hardcore Techno (1993)
- Speed Limit 140 BPM+ Three: The Joint (1993)
- Speed Limit 140 BPM+ Four (1994)
- Speed Limit 140 BPM+ Five (1994)
- Speed Limit 140 BPM+ Six: The Joint II (1995)
- Speed Limit 140 BPM+ Seven: The Return Of The Ultrabeat (1995)
- Speed Limit 140 BPM+ Eight: On The Happy Hardcore Tip (1996)
The first three albums were originally released by Moonshine Music, and were later re-released by its spinoff label Planet Earth Recordings. Volumes four through eight were only ever released by Moonshine Music and to date have not been re-released.
Additionally, there was a UK only release entitled Speed Limit 140 BPM+ Classics which compiled 14 tracks taken from volumes four and seven (shortened to 12 tracks on the vinyl edition).
[edit] Spinoffs
The series had three major spinoffs, all of which were still released by Moonshine Music. These were identified as spinoffs from the original series by having the classic "speed limit sign" logo appearing somewhere on the release's artwork.
The first one chronologically was entitled Law Of The Jungle, which compiled a selection of ragga jungle and drum & bass originally released by UK record label SOUR Records. Only one volume was ever released in 1994.
The second spinoff was the popular Happy2bHardcore series of happy hardcore mix CDs. Each volume was mixed by Canadian DJ Anabolic Frolic, and it ran for a total of seven volumes released between 1997 and 2003.
The third and final spinoff was Speed Limit 140 BPM+: The New Era, a single volume mix CD released in 2001. This spinoff bore little resemblance to earlier releases in the Speed Limit series, as the music on the disc was primarily UK hard house. However, it maintained a link to the earlier releases by featuring a 3D rendering of the classic "speed limit sign" logo on its cover, as well as by being mixed by DJ Slipmatt, a former hardcore artist who had previously appeared on volumes five and seven of the original series.
